Liberal – left alliance to call for ‘gay marriage’ law in Poland

PR dla Zagranicy

Peter Gentle
25.10.2011 13:10

Poland's first openly gay MP, Robert Biedron, a member of the newly formed Palikot's Movement (RP), has stated his party's intention to join forces with the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) to reintroduce a bill on civil partnerships.

Robert Biedron,

Biedron told Polish Radio on Monday that “hundreds of thousands of couples are already living in informal partnerships, and they are waiting for state regulation regarding inheritance and joint taxation.”

Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller (SLD) announced on Saturday that his party was planning to resubmit the draft bill.

The project, originally submitted to parliament in May by SLD, was stalled by the ruling coalition of Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish Peasant's Party (PSL).

However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk (PO), whose party once again emerged as the dominant force in Polish politics in the 9 October general election, promised that he was “ready to discuss civil partnerships” and that it would be “one of the first” items to be addressed if his party was r-elected.

SLD suffered a shock in the elections, with the liberal, anticlerical Palikot's Movement apparently wooing many of its voters. RP won 10 percent of the vote, while SLD only managed 8.2 percent.

Biedon told Polish Radio on Monday that the civil partnerships law may have to be modified before being resubmitted.

He believes that Poland's Supreme Court may deem it unconstitutional, owing to a law protecting marriage as the legal union between men and women. The Supreme Court has already drawn attention to this matter.

However, Biedron noted that if a new form of legal partnership was created, this stumbling block would not affect same-sex couples. (nh/pg)